I was looking for something in the $300-$400 range, and this was pretty much the best I could find: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834107051

What do you guys think? It's not meant for any serious gaming or anything, though WoW would be nice. Just web browsing, watching Youtube/Hulu/Netflix, that sort of thing. My old one is getting on in years, and has developed a crack around the hinge, so I'm giving it to my parents as an entry into the world of the internets so they can at least learn to pay their bills online and queue movies on Netflex (they upgraded their home theater system to something that allows them to watch Netflix on their TV).

It seemed like a good price for what it is, though refurbished. I got a two year replacement plan from NewEgg just in case.

diablopath

05-30-2010, 11:04 PM

It seems to be pretty close to the one my mother has. It seems to be speedy enough for her, and she does pretty much the same things you're aiming for. Except WoW, of course.

Mot Wakorb

05-31-2010, 07:18 AM

It's a good idea that you picked up the two-year replacement - I just had to repair a couple of these at work due to overheating issues with the nVidia chipset. I'm not saying it will happen, just know these had issues in the past. They may have fixed the overheating issue during the recertification process.

Widgetcraft

05-31-2010, 07:58 AM

It's a good idea that you picked up the two-year replacement - I just had to repair a couple of these at work due to overheating issues with the nVidia chipset. I'm not saying it will happen, just know these had issues in the past. They may have fixed the overheating issue during the recertification process.

That doesn't sound too good. Though, this has an ATI chipset.

nabokovfan87

05-31-2010, 12:32 PM

The main thing you want is some sort of video acceleration for flash 10 to allow you to play higher bitrate stuff. Now looking at the specs, its a terribly cpu (2.0 GHz), but it will do you fine. Just be slow as hell.

wow required an xp processor, so as long as you have a dual core it is fine (which it is), just keep in mind you will need everything on low. torchlight in netbook mode might be your best bet.

Widgetcraft

06-03-2010, 08:36 PM

Just got it in today, still transferring files over to it and such. I'm really digging it; to begin with, it's fucking beautiful. I do have some minor qualms with it's design, first being the placement of some keys, but the more important one being the friction of the touch pad. I've heard some people put like, iPhone screen protectors over it and just cut off the excess; might be an option. There are good things about the design though, for one thing the speaker layout is pretty nice. It's right above the keyboard, around the hinge. They sound very clear, and produce an enjoyable volume level. The power outlet is away from any vents, where-as my last laptop placed it directly beside the main vent; that always bothered me. The keyboard has a full number pad, which could be a big plus for rogue-likes and such. The LED color scheme is very nice (white for most things, blue for the wi-fi power button). Overall, I'd have to say that I'm pretty pleased when it comes to the aesthetics. The screen looks great as well, having a glossy finish and bright colors.

This is my first chance to really mess with Windows 7, and I have to say, I'm digging it. I don't really like how they reorganized certain things that didn't need to be moved (it also took a bit to get file sharing to work between it and my XP machines), but it's easy enough to get a handle on what I want it to do. The laptop itself is pretty speedy, and can handle Livestream/Youtube... etc just fine. My last one struggled with any video, even if that was all it was doing.

I'm happy with it, and I think I got my money's worth. I'll update later when I find out how WoW works in the next few days.